In this issue:

• Using ActiveX DLLs in Liberty BASIC - Part 2 - by Dennis McKinney
• Creating an API Trackbar/Slider Control - by Brad Moore
• Object-Oriented Programming - by Thomas Watson
• Stylebits Corner - Textboxes - by Janet Terra
• Conversion Trivia - Using a ListBox - by WE Lopez
• Real 3-D - by Stefan Hesseling
• Context Sensitive Help - by Dennis McKinney
• Program Design with Eddie - by Alyce Watson
• Texteditors with Eddie - by Alyce Watson
• Tip Corner - the Nomainwin Command - by Alyce Watson
• API Corner - Manipulating the MainWin - by Alyce Watson
• Sprite Byte: Adding a Scoreboard or Status Panel - by Alyce Watson
• DEMOS
  • Eddie, the Code Editor - by Alyce Watson
• Newsletter help
• Index

Notes from the Editor:

This is the "Eddie" issue. "Who is Eddie?" you might ask. Eddie is not Wally's wiseguy friend in "Leave it to Beaver" nor is he the wolfboy son of Herman Munster. He's not even Eddie Van Halen of the rock group, Van Halen. Eddie is the name of the new code editor we're writing as part of the Liberty BASIC Newsletter.

It's going to be hard to follow the advice in our quote by Charles Dickens in this issue. How can we concentrate on one thing at a time when there are so many great articles on such a variety of topics? There is literally something for everybody here. It doesn't matter whether you are an old hand at Liberty BASIC or a novice. You'll find something new and terrific this month! It doesn't matter if you write utilities, or games, or graphics. We've got an article for you! Do you prefer native code, or do you like to delve into the API? Either way, you'll find something of value in issue #131!

Dennis McKinney gives us the second installment: Using ActiveX DLLs in Liberty BASIC - Part 2 This one shows us how to create a complete ZIP program, with all of the bells and whistles! Seven years ago, when the newsletter first started, we could never have envisioned taking Liberty BASIC to these heights! Dennis has been instrumental in expanding the horizons of Liberty BASIC for many years now. Dennis, you da man!

Brad Moore steps up to the plate and hits a homerun with his Creating an API Trackbar/Slider Control. In previous issues, he's demonstrated ways to implement a graphical slider with Liberty BASIC code. This one is even easier, and it creates a standard Windows trackbar. It gives a very professional appearance to our programs. Thanks, Brad!

Thomas Watson gives us an overview of Object-Oriented Programming. Liberty BASIC is not an object-oriented language, but it was written in Smalltalk, which is object-oriented. If you've always wondered about the differences, this article will answer your questions. Thanks very much, Thomas, for your contribution!

Janet Terra gives us an incredibly handy Stylebits Corner on Textboxes. Janet has quickly become indispensable to the newsletter team. The rest of us take turns creating and publishing issues, but Janet works hard on each and every one of them! Thank you, Janet!

WE Lopez is back, and his articles are always a treat! This time, he gives us Conversion Trivia - Using a ListBox Not only does this article explain clearly and in detail how to use a listbox, but it also is one of the funniest things I've read in a long time! Bill, you are a real treasure!

Stefan Hesseling takes it to a new level with Real 3-D. Yep, you read that correctly! He's done real 3D graphics in Liberty BASIC! Get out your 3D glasses if you want to appreciate this one fully. Thanks for the ingenious article, Stefan!

Dennis McKinney has yet another goodie for us with Context Sensitive Help. You'll want to read the tutorial on creating compiled HTML help in issue #108, then use Dennis's instructions to add real, context sensitive help to your applications! You'll be able to open any topic in your help file with this method, so you can tailor the help to the situation in your program. It just can't get more professional than that! The tools to create this type of helpfile are free, too.

Program Design with Eddie Introduces Eddie, our new code editor. The article discusses the design of the GUI and also the structure of the code to implement it. This approach is good for designing almost any type of application. Once the design is set, we move on to Texteditors with Eddie. Not only does the article discuss the implementation of a texteditor in Eddie, but it also addresses all of those little "how-tos" and "gotchas" that go along with Liberty BASIC texteditors. Even if you've used texteditors in the past, you'll want to have a look at this article.

Tip Corner - the Nomainwin Command addresses the use of this command. Did you think it was simple? It is, but there is one "gotcha" to its use. API Corner - Manipulating the MainWin shows you some neat things you can do with the MainWin using API calls that cannot be done with native Liberty BASIC code.

Sprite Byte: Adding a Scoreboard or Status Panel finishes this issue with a little bit of fun. If you don't write games, you'll still want to have a look at this clever method. It allows you to simulate a statusbar using only Liberty BASIC code. Pretty neat!

- Alyce Watson